Each year on Thanksgiving people come together to eat turkey, celebrate and spend time with family. Another mainstay of the traditional American holiday: the NFL.
The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving since 1934 and the Dallas Cowboys have been at it since 1966. It is a standard tradition in the league to have the Lions and the Cowboys play on Turkey Day and since 2006 the league has also added a third game that usually is an exciting matchup.
This season the Lions take on the AFC-best Houston Texans, while the Cowboys host the division rival Washington Redskins with their exciting quarterback Robert Griffin III. Later tonight, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will travel to MetLife Stadium to take on Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets.
There have been some memorable games played on Thanksgiving over the years and here is a list of some of the best games ever played on the holiday.
"The Romo"
November 23, 2006 - Dallas Cowboys 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
Tony Romo threw five touchdowns in just his fifth NFL start, his first on Thanksgiving Day, and also had 306 yards passing to lead the Cowboys to an emphatic victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I thought it was Aikman out there," Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said to the Associated Press at the time.
Romo tied a Cowboys record with five touchdown passes, joining Danny White, Troy Aikman, Eddie LeBaron, Craig Morton and Don Meredith as the only quarterbacks to throw for that many in a single game.
Later that season the Cowboys made the playoffs and faced off against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild card playoff round, but Romo fumbled away a chance at winning the game.
With Dallas down 21-20 and 1:19 left in the game, the Cowboys attempted a 19-yard field goal with Romo as the holder. He botched the hold for the kicker then tried to run into the end zone for a touchdown, but was tackled at the one-yard line ending the Cowboys season. Bet Romo wished it were Thanksgiving again.
"The Kick"
November 24th, 2005 - Denver Broncos 24, Dallas Cowboys 21 OT
The last Thanksgiving game to go to overtime is also one of the best games in the historical series.
The Broncos were one of the best teams in the AFC with an 8-2 record, while the Cowboys were playing very well, coming into the game at 7-3. The Broncos won the game in overtime on a 24-yard field goal from the ageless Jason Elam despite turning over the ball twice in the game.
Champ Bailey scored the first touchdown for the Broncos, returning an interception 65-yards for a score, while Ron Dayne rushed 98 yards and a touchdown to prove the veteran running back was not washed up after all. Dayne showed some strength and athleticism on a 55-yard run on the second play of overtime to help set up the winning score.
"The coaching staff gave me a chance and they believed in me," Dayne said to the Associated Press at the time. "I was glad I got this opportunity to show Coach that I wasn't a bust."
Drew Bledsoe passed for 232 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys, but also had two interceptions. Tight end Jason Witten, in his third year in the league, caught nine passes for 82 yards and one touchdown in the losing effort.
"The Comeback"
November 22, 2001 - Denver Broncos 26, Dallas Cowboys 24
One of the biggest comebacks ever on Thanksgiving ended up being a futile effort.
Denver took a 23-3 lead in the fourth quarter, but squandered it by allowing the Cowboys score 21 points, including a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown by Reggie Swinton. Jason Elam kicked four field goals, including a 28-yarder to give the Broncos 26 points.
"It's always nice to find a way to win," said Broncos coach Mike Shanahan to the Associated Press at the time. "We had a chance to put it away a number of times. We struggled a little bit. We have to execute better offensively so we can put people away. It's a credit to win that game with as many missed opportunities."
Ryan Leaf was the top passer for the Cowboys, throwing for 193 yards, but zero touchdowns. Dallas wide receivers Joey Galloway and Rocket Ismail combined for 12 receptions for 148 yards, but were kept out of the endzone.
Running back Mike Anderson had a big game for the Broncos, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. Brian Griese threw a touchdown pass to Dwayne Carswell, but only passed for 171 yards.
"The Shootout"
November 23rd, 1995 - Detroit Lions 44, Minnesota Vikings 38
Most Thanksgiving Day games are not shootouts--perhaps due to the amount of turkey the players eat the night before the games--but the battle in 1995 between the Lions and the Vikings ended up as the highest scoring game on the holiday since 1987 when, funnily enough, the Vikings played the Cowboys.
The Vikings scored 21 points in the second quarter and were fueled by 384 passing yards and three touchdowns from Warren Moon. Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell was even better, passing for 410 yards and four touchdowns with only one interception.
Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders had a huge game, gaining 138 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Detroit stayed ahead of the Vikings for the entire game, but Minnesota kept coming back until Moon threw an interception in the endzone on their final drive of the game.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
"The Coin Flip"
November 26, 1998 - Detroit Lions 19, Pittsburgh Steelers 16
One of the most infamous moments in Thanksgiving NFL history had nothing to do with the play on the field.
In the 1998 game, the Lions and Steelers were prepared to start the overtime period after playing to a 16-16 tie through four quarters. Players from the two teams met at midfield with referee Phil Luckett to call the coin toss. That's when the trouble began.
Running back Jerome Bettis called "tails" for the Steelers, but when the coin toss came up as tails, Luckett said the Lions had the ball. He claimed Bettis said "heads", making head coach Bill Cowher furious. The Lions got the ball and marched down the field to kick the winning field goal.
Later on, the audio was enhanced and Bettis could be heard saying "hea--tails". According to NFL rules, a team's first call is the one the referee will use. So maybe Luckett was right, but it's still considered a controversial call.
Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart threw for 225 yards and one touchdown in the loss, while Bettis had 67 yards rushing.
Barry Sanders had only 33 yards rushing, while Detroit quarterback Charlie Batch--who is going to start for the Steelers this week against the Cleveland Browns--threw for 236 yards and one touchdown. Herman Moore had a big game for the Lions, catching eight balls for 148 yards and one touchdown.
According to ESPN, the captain's choice of heads or tails is now called before the coin is flipped to make sure there are no disputes.
AND JUST BECAUSE IT'S GREAT
"The Leon Lett Game"
November 25th, 1993 - Miami Dolphins 16, Dallas Cowboys 14
Dallas isn't known for its snowstorms, but there was one brewing in 1993 when the Cowboys hosted the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving.
The Cowboys were 7-3 and the defending Super Bowl champions, while the Dolphins were 8-2 and the best team in the AFC that season. The game was close, but will be remembered for one of the most infamous plays in NFL history.
With only seconds left in the game, the Dolphins were attempting to kick the game-winning 41-yard field goal while down 14-13. Miami kicker Pete Stoyanovich lined up to take his shot, but it was blocked by Dallas lineman Jimmie Jones, essentially sealing the game for the Cowboys. Right? Well not exactly. All Dallas needed to do was not touch the ball, and they would get possession to end the game.
Defensive tackle Leon Lett went after the blocked kick and tried to pick it up, but instead kicked it forward on the snow, allowing it to roll all the way to the Dallas 1-yard line, where the Dolphins recovered it. Stoyanovich then kicked a 19-yard field goal to win the game.
